American killed in Sudan: State Department confirms US citizen is among the dead in brutal fighting

At least one American has been killed in clashes between rival military factions in Sudan, the State Department said Friday, as the Pentagon prepares options for evacuating US diplomatic personnel.

The African nation has been rocked by violence over the past week as its top two generals battle for power.

There are said to be as many as 16,000 Americans in Sudan.

“We can confirm the death of a US citizen in Sudan,” said Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman.

“We are in contact with the family and offer them our deepest sympathy for their loss. Out of respect for the family in this difficult time, we have nothing further to add.’

There could be as many as 16,000 Americans in the country. The Pentagon is preparing evacuation options for US diplomatic personnel in Khartoum

On Friday, the Sudanese military said it had agreed to a three-day ceasefire starting Friday to allow people to celebrate the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which ends the holy month of Ramadan.

That could provide a window for foreign nations to evacuate diplomats and their nationals.

A day earlier, it appeared that extra US troops were being sent to nearby Djibouti for the possible rescue of US diplomats.

It came shortly after a US diplomatic convoy came under fire and three members of World Food Program staff were killed in the clashes.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon was preparing options for an evacuation operation if the State Department needed help.

“We always want to make sure we’re planning wisely, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

“We’ve sent some troops to the theater to make sure we provide as many options as possible when we’re called upon to do something and we haven’t been called upon to do anything yet. No decision has been made yet.’

During the fighting, troops loyal to army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, as seen here, face off against troops of General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, his former deputy

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon was preparing options for an evacuation operation if the State Department needed help

During the fighting, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan faces off against his former deputy General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.

The World Health Organization said at least 413 people had died, but that number is likely an underestimate.

In the capital, residents said they had seen bodies lining the streets.

“Dead bodies were all over the ground on a main street in Al-Taif and on the west road outside Khartoum,” Hadeel Mohamed, a resident of Khartoum’s Al-Taif neighborhood, told ABC News.